The Arizona Home Buyer's Guide
This is the written version of the buyer's guide I hand to every client — the whole process, start to finish, in plain English. If you prefer to flip through it like a booklet, the illustrated flip book is on my buyer resources page. This page has the same ground covered in text, so you can search it, read it on your phone, or send a specific section to your kids in California who are helping you with the move.
Most of my buyers are moving to Sun City West, Surprise, Peoria, or somewhere else in the West Valley, and a good share of them are buying from out of state. The Arizona process has a few quirks that surprise people coming from the Midwest or the East Coast. I've flagged those as we go.
1. Deciding What You Actually Want
Before we look at a single house, I ask a version of these questions. They sound simple, but the answers save months.
- Why are you moving, and by when do you need to be in?
- Is this a full-time residence, a winter home, or an eventual rental?
- Single story only? Almost everyone over 60 tells me yes after the second showing.
- Do you want a golf course lot, and are you willing to pay the premium and take the stray-ball risk?
- Casita or guest room for visiting family?
- Pool: do you want one, or do you want to avoid the maintenance and use the rec center pools?
- Two-car garage, or do you need golf cart parking too? In Sun City West that matters more than people expect.
- How close do you need to be to Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center?
Write down your top three must-haves and your top three deal-breakers. When we tour, we score every home against that list instead of against how nicely it was staged.
2. Financing and Getting Pre-Approved
Get pre-approved before you shop. Not pre-qualified — pre-approved, with the lender having actually reviewed your income and assets. In a tight Sun City West market, a listing agent comparing two similar offers will take the one with a real pre-approval letter every time.
A few Arizona-specific notes:
- Cash is common here. A large share of 55+ community purchases in the West Valley are cash, often funded by the sale of a home in another state. If you're financing, your lender's speed is a competitive weapon.
- PMI applies under 20% down. Expect to prepay roughly a year of private mortgage insurance at closing plus a couple of months into an impound account.
- Interest is paid in arrears. If you close June 10, you'll pay prepaid interest from June 10 to July 1 at closing, and your first mortgage payment lands August 1.
- Don't touch your credit. No new cars, no new credit cards, no large unexplained deposits between pre-approval and closing. Lenders re-pull before funding, and I have watched this derail a closing.
3. Making an Offer in the West Valley
Arizona uses the standard AAR Residential Resale Purchase Contract. The terms that actually move a seller, in my experience, are rarely just price:
- Earnest money — typically 1% or so, held by the title company. A personal check is fine for this piece.
- Inspection period — the AAR default is 10 days. Shortening it to 7 signals confidence, but never waive it entirely.
- Close of escrow date — many Sun City West sellers are estate or trust sellers coordinating with family out of state. Flexibility on timing can beat several thousand dollars in price.
- Seller concessions — sometimes better than a price cut, because it puts cash back in your pocket at closing.
If you're buying an estate or probate property, the process has extra steps. I wrote a separate piece on how probate home sales work in Sun City West that explains what the seller's side is dealing with — useful context when you're writing the offer.
4. The Home Inspection
Do it. Even on a home that looks immaculate. Arizona's sun and heat are hard on houses in ways that don't show up in photos.
What I tell buyers to pay attention to in this market:
- Roof — UV exposure ages tile underlayment and shingles faster here. Ask the age, not just the condition.
- HVAC — a unit runs hard from May through September. Anything over 12 to 15 years old should be budgeted for.
- Polybutylene plumbing — shows up in some homes built in the late 70s and 80s. Worth knowing about.
- Wood-destroying organisms — termites are common in the Valley and a WDO report is standard.
- Pool equipment — pumps and heaters are their own inspection, and worth it if the home has a pool.
- Irrigation and drainage — monsoon season finds every grading mistake.
You also get a CLUE report — a five-year history of insurance claims on the property. If the home has a history of water claims, you want to know before your insurance quote comes back high.
5. The Appraisal
If you're financing, your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home is worth what you agreed to pay. The appraiser uses recent comparable sales, adjusted for size, condition, lot, and upgrades.
If the appraisal comes in low, you have four options: the seller lowers the price, you bring the difference in cash, you split it, or you cancel under the appraisal contingency. In Sun City West, where floor plans repeat across the community, appraisals are usually predictable — which is one of the quiet advantages of buying in a master-planned 55+ community.
6. Escrow: What It Is and Who Does What
Escrow is a neutral third party — a title and escrow company — holding the money and the documents until every condition of the contract is met. In Arizona, escrow and title are typically handled by the same company.
Here's the sequence on a typical transaction:
- Offer accepted; earnest money deposited with the title company.
- Escrow opened; title search begins; preliminary title commitment issued.
- Inspection period runs; repairs negotiated.
- Appraisal ordered and completed.
- Loan underwriting and final approval.
- Escrow officer prepares settlement statements; you're notified of the exact funds to bring.
- You sign — allow 45 to 60 minutes, bring valid photo ID.
- Lender reviews and funds, usually 24 to 72 hours after signing.
- Documents record with the Maricopa County Recorder. This is closing.
- Keys released, typically by noon on the recording day.
The single most misunderstood thing in an Arizona closing: signing is not closing. Escrow closes when the deed records with the county — which can be one to three business days after you sign. Don't schedule the movers based on your signing appointment.
You'll also be asked for a Statement of Information. It feels intrusive — full name, prior addresses, spouse information — but its only purpose is to let the title company distinguish you from other people with a similar name so someone else's tax lien doesn't attach to your file.
7. Title Insurance and the Title Commitment
Title insurance protects your ownership against problems that already existed before you bought: forged signatures in the chain of title, undisclosed heirs, recording errors, unpaid liens, easements nobody mentioned. Unlike other insurance, you pay once at closing and it protects you for as long as you own the home.
The title commitment is the document to actually read. It has three parts:
- Schedule A — who's insured, for how much, the legal description of the property.
- Schedule B-I — requirements that must be satisfied before the policy issues, such as paying off the seller's existing mortgage.
- Schedule B-II — exceptions, meaning what the policy does not cover. This is where easements, CC&Rs, and mineral rights live.
Read Schedule B-II. If a utility easement runs across the back third of the lot where you planned to put a casita, this is the page that tells you.
For buyers in a 55+ community, the CC&Rs referenced here matter more than usual — they govern age restrictions, rentals, RV and boat parking, exterior paint colors, and landscaping. My Sun City West community guide covers how those rules work in practice.
8. Arizona Property Taxes
Arizona property taxes are relatively low compared with most states my clients relocate from, and they're paid in two installments — the first half due October 1, the second half due March 1. Taxes are prorated between buyer and seller at closing.
Two things worth knowing:
- Arizona distinguishes between a primary residence and other property for tax rate purposes. If this is your primary home, make sure it's classified that way.
- Arizona has a Senior Property Valuation Protection Option — often called the senior freeze — that can lock your property's valuation if you're 65 or older and meet income and residency requirements. It freezes the valuation, not the tax rate, but it's worth applying for. Check current requirements with the Maricopa County Assessor.
9. Arizona's Good Funds Law
Arizona law requires that funds be immediately available before escrow can disburse. In practice this means your closing funds must be a cashier's check from a local bank or a wire transfer. Personal checks and out-of-state checks cause delays. Title companies do not accept cash.
Wire fraud warning — read this twice. Criminals monitor real estate transactions and send convincing emails with fake wiring instructions, often the day before closing. Never wire funds based on emailed instructions alone. Call your escrow officer at a number you already have on file and verbally confirm every digit. If wiring instructions "change" at the last minute, assume fraud until proven otherwise.
10. Closing Day and Getting Your Keys
Do a final walkthrough before signing — ideally the day before or the morning of. You're confirming that the home is in the condition you agreed to, that negotiated repairs were completed, and that anything that was supposed to convey is still there.
At signing, bring valid government photo ID and your cashier's check if you weren't wiring. Plan for 45 to 60 minutes. Then the file goes back to the lender for funding, and once it records, the keys are yours.
Your recorded deed comes in the mail from the county — but that can take six to ten weeks. That delay is normal and does not mean anything is wrong.
11. After You're a Homeowner
A short list I give every buyer for the first month:
- Transfer utilities: APS or SRP for electric, EPCOR or the city for water, Southwest Gas if applicable.
- Register with the HOA and, in Sun City West, get your Recreation Centers cardholder ID set up.
- Confirm your homeowners insurance is active as of the recording date, not the signing date.
- File for your primary residence classification with the county if applicable.
- Change your address with USPS, your bank, the MVD, and your insurance carriers.
- Store your closing packet somewhere safe — you'll want it at tax time and again when you sell.
- Locate the main water shutoff and the breaker panel before you need them.
Common Buyer Questions
Can I pay with a personal check?
Only for the earnest money deposit. Closing funds must be a cashier's check from a local bank or a wire, under Arizona's Good Funds Law.
When will I know exactly how much to bring to closing?
Once your loan documents arrive and the escrow officer prepares the settlement statement — usually a few days before signing. Your lender's Closing Disclosure arrives at least three business days before.
When do I get my keys?
After recording, usually by noon on the day escrow closes, unless the contract says otherwise.
How long is the signing appointment?
Forty-five to sixty minutes. Bring photo ID.
Do I need an inspection on a home that looks perfect?
Yes. Roofs and HVAC systems age fast in this climate, and most Sun City West homes are 20 to 40 years old.
I'm buying from out of state and can't be there to sign. Now what?
Tell me early. Many lenders will accept a Power of Attorney if it's set up in advance, and remote online notarization is sometimes an option. This is solvable — but not at the last minute.
Ready to Start?
I've been helping buyers in Sun City West and across the West Valley for close to two decades, and I'm a HomeSmart Chairman's Club Top 50 agent nationally for 2023, 2024, and 2025. If you want to walk through any part of this in person, call me at (602) 803-9900 or email alohaallan@aol.com.
Next steps you might find useful: my buyer resources page with the illustrated flip book, the complete guide to Sun City West, the Sun City West lifestyle guide, and what to know before buying in a 55+ community.